“The Fun We’ve Had” & “The Face of Any Other” listed in Flavorwire’s 25 Great Books You Might Have Missed in 2014

“I’ve only recently discovered the writing of Michael J Seidlinger, whose work is beginning to remind me of a kind of 21st century David Markson. He’s prolific and talented and we should all read together to try to figure him out.”— Jonathon Sturgeon

The end of the year is approaching and you’re looking for a little extra present: a stocking stuffer? A Secret Santa gift? Or perhaps you just want to read off the beaten track? Regardless of your reason for book-consumption, here is a roundup some of our personal favorites, some titles that you might not find on the big end-of-year lists but which we think you should absolutely check out anyway — whether they’re from indie presses, or they cover taboo topics, or they’re a cookbook in a novel-saturated world.